What is Viral Video?

The widespread availability of cheap video editing and publishing tools have helped create an online phenomenon known as the viral video. Named for the way such videos are spread—and no, you will not contract any kind of biological disease—the viral video is a piece of video content that gains significant popularity through Internet sharing.

Through the use of email, instant messaging, blogging, and services like Facebook, Twitter, and Digg, certain videos (most often comedic or astounding in nature) simply “go viral”—or, spread like wildfire through the many person-to-person channels that exist online.

Viral video is largely responsible for the concept of the “internet fame,” making individuals or groups whose videos go viral famous (or infamous) overnight. Video websites like YouTube are breeding grounds for such hopefuls.

Many businesses have developed their own videos, video blogs (“vlogs”), and other kinds of video marketing campaigns, with the hopes of viral success. Viral success can mean great exposure for a company’s brand or product, and can generate a significant amount of energy across the web.

When you hear “viral” used today, think twice before you cringe—chances are the topic is much cleaner than you think.